With 1.23 million Coronavirus cases and  72,023 fatalities so far in the United States still the Trump administration is signalling that it no longer considers the COVID-19 pandemic its top daily priority, the White House is set to disband the emergency task force handling the outbreak.

Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday that the emergency task force he heads will not be needed much longer than the end of this month.

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“I think we’re starting to look at the Memorial Day (May 25) window, early June window” for shutting it down, said Pence to journalists.

The coronavirus task force headed by Pence and reporting to President Donald Trump has spearheaded the complex response to the fast-spreading virus, which has already killed about 70,000 Americans. It coordinates between medical institutes, political staff and state governors, some of whom have spent weeks frantically trying to help overwhelmed hospitals.

The task force also drew on medical experts to formulate national recommendations on social distancing.

Rather than the task forces, now the regular government agencies will be working “in a more traditional manner,” said Pence.

Trump administration is now downgrading the situation from an outright emergency with a new focus on pushing the country to embrace reopening of the economy.

Trump says that while he wants a “safe” reopening, the hardship caused by the economic shutdown is the main threat.

“We can’t keep our country closed for the next five years,” he said Tuesday while on a trip to a masks-making factory in Arizona.

Though, he conceded that some people would be “badly affected.”

According to critics, the health situation in America remains far from secure and that Trump is rushing to try and boost the devastated economy in time for his difficult reelection battle in November.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany insisted that Trump will continue to be briefed by the medical teams, even if there is no formal crisis group.

“Reporting on the task force is being misconstrued to suggest the White House is no longer involving medical experts. This is totally false. President @realDonaldTrump will continue his data-driven approach towards safely re-opening,” she tweeted.

Reporting on the task force is being misconstrued to suggest the White House is no longer involving medical experts. This is totally false.

President @realDonaldTrump will continue his data-driven approach towards safely re-opening.

— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) May 5, 2020